Year: 2016

The holidays are here at last. My schedule is packed but my bags are not — this year we’re staying in town through New Year’s. If you’re hosting at home like I love to do, read on for my favorite tried and true tips for throwing a fabulous party at home, any time of year.

Call me old fashioned: Hearkening back to centuries-old Irish farms and the rainy wilds of British isles, something about the storied construction and classic look of a well-made waxed cotton coat gets me every time. As romances tend to go, though, I’ve found good waxed canvas can be awfully tough to find — made more difficult if you’re on the hunt for hardworking, ethical options that are tailored for women.

Winter is a brutal time of year for our skin. There’s the hustle of holiday travel, mad dash for projects and presents, and skin-parching parties (hello rosacea, my old friend) paired with whipping winter winds (I’ve come to talk with eczema again). It’s no wonder that every winter, my face’s wish list consists of nothing more than a little extra love. So goes that saying, “the cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears, or the sea.” As I start to itch — literally itch — for a little sun and sand, this season I’ve set a quiet ritual of candles and ocean potions. Sundays are my set time for afternoon embarkations into the bath.

Gina Moyano and I first crossed paths six months ago. As I was gearing up for a balmy summer in Atlanta, she was beginning to dream up fresh handbag designs for her luxe collection of sustainable accessories, Chakanu, which she creates in collaboration with a selection of hand-picked artisans in her home country of Ecuador. Through Chakanu Gina combines sustainability and ethical working conditions with modern, high-quality accoutrements. Chakanu is a labor of love born outside of working hours — Gina is a fellow brand manager with an affinity for sustainable practices, and, like me, she cares an awful lot about making things that are good for people and for our planet.

Sevilla Smith Sandy D’Orsay Flats: In review I can’t go a few days of wearing these without someone asking who made these beautiful shoes by Sevilla Smith so I’d like to share a little review: Know that each pair is made according to your exact specifications, from leather type to width to the occasional Midas touch. When these flats arrive they should feel very tight for the first couple of wears, but won’t leave a single blister — scout’s honor. Give them two days to loosen up and they’ll melt into the softest, buttery leather socks that have ever adorned your sweet feet.

Kirsten Kjær Weis has a certain magnetism about her. You can tell she’s a woman who has thought a lot about what she’s going to say — that words are important to her. Soft-spoken and eloquent, her manner makes you want to lean in, be quiet, and listen. When she dropped by green beauty spot Fig & Flower last week my friend Caroline and I pulled up a couple of chairs and did just that.